Sun, Sand Storm, Rain, Flood

So, is Dubai just like Missouri?! We joke in Missouri that if you don’t like the weather, just hang around a few hours and it will change – and it’s true quite a lot. One morning you’ll be running the furnace because the temps are in the teens (fahrenheit) and by afternoon, the air conditioner is coming on because it’s in the 80s!.

In Dubai this week two days ago was sunny, hot, and 98 degrees, next day was sand storm and 96 all day, and early this morning, i woke to the gentle ping of rain on the window. Not much accumulated, but the streets are flooded!

Dubai’s annual rainfall is 3.71 inches per year, with March being the second highest rainfall month of a whopping .87 of an inch (March has the most days of rain at 5) However, the past couple years, the annual has risen to nearly 5.91 inches a year. Apparently, UAE is seeding the clouds to hopefully increase the rainfall. Whether or not that is working or if this is just a natural increase we’ll never be know, though i suspect the cloud seeding enthusiasts will be claiming success!

Bright sunshine, warm temperatures, water a bit nippy, but several in swimming!Of course today of the Sightseeing tour, it is a sand storm! Eating sand and gritty eyes, but –bonus–no crowds! A bit eery –no one in the restaurant we chose, all those vendors you see in the photo, but not a single shopper. There were a few people enjoying the beach and water, however. This is at the famous Dubai Marina Walk.

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5 thoughts on “Sun, Sand Storm, Rain, Flood”

Aqaba has the same flooding issues. Not many years ago, it NEVER rained in Aqaba, so the city’s drainage system is almost non-existent, and what does exist is clogged. A few years ago, a sudden intense cloud-burst caused water to flood down from the mountains. The water got channeled into some of the main streets, and cars were literally floating. One person even died in the flood! In the last decade or so, the city has been planting many trees, and the weather is responding – we are getting more rain with each year. (I think they are doing seeding, too.) Sure hope they do something to improve the drainage!!!

the trees and any establishment of green areas will be more effective in drawing rain than any cloud seeding. This makes sense and even is known in a practical sense. but cloud seeding sounds so cool, though i think it a ridiculous waste of funds.

Indeed! it actually purifies air, soil, and water. BUT, there is no money to be made – maybe to someone who provides the tree sapplings and workers who plant them, but it’s a one off deal. Well, i guess someone needs to nurse those plants. i don’t know why we can’t do things better. So much to learn and teach. But people want more stores, entertainment, and concrete – that’s where the money is.